Paddy the Fatty

Over Christmas weekend we made a snowman. Conditions were warm, the snow stuck and we rolled around and more importantly, laughed a lot.

Paddy the Fatty took on a shape of his own during the creation process and he ended up with a nice beer belly/gut. That pretty much decided which direction he faces.

That's when Paddy asked (thru a real cole mouth) for his Native Guinness. Andy couldn't deny and decided to join Paddy in a cool beverage.

We hope he "sticks around" for awhile, tho I don't know what Paddy will do to celebrate New Year's Eve. Andy starts work at the stroke of midnight and Amy is in Denver for a long weekend!

Happy New Year!

Light & Power

It's funny, or would it be ironic?, that last weekend was the darkest of the year (daylight hour-wise) and we experienced a couple decent power outages. Already we were facing 5 1/2 hrs. of sunlight, but then the Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) decided to make matters a little darker.

Last Saturday we just stayed in bed for the lack of electricity and heat. And then my friend, Beth, came up from Soldotna and stayed with us that night. We went out to eat and it was over chips and salsa that the power failed...again. Beth, the ever ready & handy person, offered her headlamp to our waiter who used it to continue business in the dark. Our drinks were over the rocks, Mexican food over candlelight, and the scene was, well, quite fun and comfy!

The day before Winter Solstice Beth and I decided to live out the day hours with some snowshoeing near Lake Lucille. The powder was thick and we earned the awesome hot tub soak afterward.

MEA was nice enough to save another power failure for the afternoon of Christmas Day. I think it was our little present to quiet down and focus on stillness. Or not. Good news is we're gaining daylight again!

*Amy

A Snowy Merry Christmas!

In honor of the Midwest's current blizzards, I'll share our share of snow from last week. The effect of hoar-frost coverings and a heavy blanket of snow was stunning, but driving on the roads was stellar too... just in the opposite direction.The grill got piled on and most of our trees bent over from the weight of frost and snow.Camo-Man has some really tall trees in his yard.

As the snowflakes may come down, think of them as the blessings in our lives and as the snow piles, it's the cumulation of a lovely holiday season. As quickly as this season arrives and passes, so too will the snow, so enjoy! All the beautiful layers of snow shown in this blog suddenly blew away and melted just before Christmas. Dive in and play while you can. Christmas only comes once a year.

Merriest of Merry!

Love, A&A

New Wheels

The State of Alaska has generously given Andy a vehicle that will prevent his getting stuck in the snow this winter. For that, he thanks them. Just before Thanksgiving he went from a Crown Victoria cruiser to a Ford Expedition 4x4. All of his SERT gear fits in it too. Oh, and it's also brand-spanking new! He really likes it. It takes more space in the driveway, but he kindly parks it so we can still see the Christmas wreath on the door.

Surprise at the Shower

A bit of context:

Years ago my Uncle Sterlyng invented a really neat homemade decoration that's pretty fitting for Christmas. This creation made quite the splash at Christmas Eves past. In 2001 I was gifted one of these "ornaments" and so brought the thing to college, to the excitement of my roommates. We hung it in a corner as sort of a "disco ball." I don't know what happened to Uncle Sterl's gift as I know it didn't come home with me at graduation.

Can you imagine my surprise and exclamation when I dug into a very large gift bag from Aunt Diane at my bridal shower last month and found....the plastic cup Christmas ball?!! My college roommates present couldn't believe it either, and I was happy to show this family "tradition" (??) to other family and friends. Uncle Sterl resurrected his original design and creation for my bridal shower. How fortunate! I know Andy was as excited for this acquisition too. ;) Many laughs were had.

As the Christmas ball didn't fit in a suitcase it arrived in the mail this week. Hurray! I hung it up in the back yesterday.

I forgot to say that it lights up too! From inside the living room I can see it hanging joyfully. I think of the Christmas ball as more than plastic cups stapled together with lights manipulated inside. It represents family (first, the memories of laughs from first seeing it to getting one yourself) as we are all our own cup. My cup may be at the "north pole" of the ball, separated from cousins at the "south pole" of the ball, but together we're a beautiful unit, connected and tied up, lighting up each other's lives. Yeah, I think Uncle Sterl should apply for a patent. Thank you!

Also from the shower my mom hosted, Judy (Andy's mom) shared some photos and here's an image I'm not used to seeing (let alone used to wearing). Just over 6 months!

*Amy

Many Thanks in the Midwest

We're finally settled back home after a really nice trip back to the Midwest. The goal was MN for Thanksgiving with all the family at my parent's, and a wonderful bridal shower my Mom hosted too.

Mom asked guests for recipes, which I have been happily trying out since getting back to AK. As I type, Andy's scarfing down Georgia's beef stroganoff. Good ole Midwest dish. Andy thanks Georgia for the recipe, and those yet to come. :)

The warmer weather was a welcome to us after a week of unusual freezing temps. We stepped back to fall and smelled the leaves! During the Turkey day I was able to color with my second-cousins. Four-year old Anthony said, "When you babysit us we can watch [the movie] Transformers." Oh, how I wish I could! Aren't they precious?

Long-time friend, Sara, invited college friends to get together over some pizza. There's no better combination. It was so neat to rub Sara & Kati's bellies of their first babies....little Chubbies!While in St. Paul Andy asked to visit a landmark...the St. Paul Cathedral. It's one of the most recognizable and visible buildings downtown. So Dad took us; I hadn't been there in many years.Right after filling up some Thanksgiving pie we drove the 4+hours to just beyond Madison for a brief visit with Andy's family and be part of Nikki & Zeb's wedding. It was total fun and they're so happy! A highlight was nephew Colton doing a full run down the aisle bringing the flower girls with him as he yelled, "Daddy!" Pretty cool to celebrate with Alaskan friends IN Wisconsin. While I managed to be a bridesmaid, apparently I can't manage to take a normal picture with the couple.

I couldn't manage to get a clear shot of G2 & G3 either. Maybe I was having too much fun, but from the looks of the Gorn brothers, it went both ways.

The time in WI was very short but we're thankful for the generosity, love & support of our family whenever we come by, for however long.*Amy